The 2022 Fifa World Cup clicks into gear on Monday, in the first full day of football action in Qatar with three group fixtures.
Group B kicks off with matches between England and Iran as well as USA and Wales in the desert heat.
Senegal and the Netherlands, meanwhile, form the other half of Group A after the host nation slumped to an ineffective defeat at the hands of Ecuador on yesterday’s opening night in the Al Bayt Stadium.
*All kick off times are in Central Africa Time.
Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands – 18.00
Senegal meet the Netherlands in the second Group A fixture of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
The pair already look set to be locked in a three-way squabble for the two knockout qualification places following the hosts’ failure to land so much as a glove on Ecuador in Sunday’s 2-0 opening night defeat.
Sadio Mane is a huge miss for the Africa Cup of Nations champions, with the Bayern Munich star having had surgery on a knee injury on the eve of the tournament.
Legendary Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, meanwhile, has been coping with treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer for over two years, with the septuagenarian looking to the likes of Virgil van Dijk to provide some on-field magic.
The men in orange are in good form, too, having qualified for next year’s Nations League finals with victory over neighbours Belgium to boot.
Play-off success over Mohamed Salah’s Egypt was just the ticket to take the Senegalese into the global showpiece.
But long-serving coach Aliou Cisse will have to adapt quickly to the loss of Mane to keep the momentum going.
Group B: England vs Iran – 15.00
Group B of the 2022 Fifa World Cup kicks off on Monday afternoon with a clash between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.
It kicks off an intriguing pool both on and off the pitch, not to mention the English intention to draw attention to human rights issues, while the Iranians face their own pressure thanks to strikingly similar issues back home.
Three Lions coach Gareth Southgate needs to engineer an uptick in form following an iffy year or so after piloting his side to the agony of European Championship final defeat against Italy at Wembley.
They will face a familiar coach in their curtain-raiser, with former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz restored to the helm in the build up to the competition.
Known for solidity rather than thrill-a-minute football, English skipper Harry Kane and Co could have some serious chipping away to do in the desert heat.
Group B: USA vs Wales – 21.00
The first round of Group B fixtures at the 2022 Qatar World Cup are wrapped up by the United States of America and Wales, who meet for the late kick off at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Monday.
It’s a first appearance on the global stage since 1958 for the Welsh, as the likes of superstars Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey finally get their shot on the biggest international stage of all.
The opener will be a proud moment for no one more than coach Rob Page, who has risen through the ranks before taking charge following the arrest and inevitable resignation of Ryan Giggs earlier this year.
They’ve done it the hard way on the field as well, needing to negotiate play-offs against both Austria and Ukraine to sharpen them up for the finals in the Gulf.
America are something of an unknown prospect, with an overhauled squad following their failure to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Coach Gregg Berhalter replaced Bruce Arena for this qualification cycle and it’s he who is tasked with paving the way, before the States are joint hosts for the next edition in what will be an extravaganza with Canada and Mexico.
But it all starts with the British minnows in a tricky group.
